Brewers 7, Cardinals 5: Home runs the key again

Travis Shaw #21 of the Milwaukee Brewers is congratulated by teammates after hitting a home run in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Miller Park on April 20, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.(Photo: Dylan Buell, Getty Images)

Because the Milwaukee Brewers were so right-handed in their lineup last season, general manager David Stearns sought more balance by acquiring left-handed-hitting Eric Thames and Travis Shaw over the winter.

Thames and Shaw have brought more than balance to the lineup. They have brought substantial power.

That 1-2 punch was at it again Thursday night at Miller Park, leading the way to a 7-5 victory over St. Louis. Shaw got things started with a tape-measure, three-run homer off the facing of the third deck in right, and Thames erased a 4-3 deficit with a two-run, opposite-field blast in the fifth.

Both shots came off Cardinals right-hander Carlos Martinez, who had previously owned the Brewers, lock, stock and barrel. In seven previous starts, Martinez was 4-1 with a 1.36 earned run average, with only nine earned runs allowed in 59 2/3 innings.

And “Craig’s Crushers” weren’t finished. Jett Bandy made it three home runs in his last three starts with a two-run shot to left in the sixth off lefty Kevin Siegrist.

The three home runs boosted the Brewers' season total to 32, tops in the majors. They have hit at least one home run in 12 consecutive games.

The blasts were needed because starting pitcher Zach Davies has yet to find the pinpoint control that made him so successful. Davies surrendered three runs in the second on a bases-full triple by Kolten Wong, who was batting .171, and another on Matt Carpenter’s 425-foot homer to right-center in the fifth.

Davies threw only 57 of 99 pitches for strikes and that just isn’t going to work for him. His earned run average through four starts is 8.24, leaving much room for improvement.

Davies departed after 5 1/3 innings, leaving relievers Oliver Drake, Jhan Mariñez, Carlos Torres and Jacob Barnes to finish off the Cardinals. Barnes got the call to close after Neftali Feliz exceeded 30 pitches the previous day in Chicago.

BEHIND THE BOX SCORE

• Because they have so many inexperienced players, the Brewers had few with any track records against Martinez. Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Hernán Pérez were each 3 for 9 against him and got starts in center field and shortstop, respectively.

• Ryan Braun does not reach “10 and 5” status on May 24, the 10th anniversary of his debut in the majors, as previously thought. That day actually is May 14 because of how full seasons are counted in the majors. A “10 and 5” player (10 years in the majors, at least five with his current club) has full veto rights over any trade.

STAT SHEET

• The Brewers have outscored their opponents, 16-7, in the first inning this season. Not coincidentally, they have held leads at some point in 15 of their 17 games.

• The exit velocity on Shaw’s home run was 116.9 mph, the hardest-hit blast of the season. It traveled 458 feet, tying the Cubs’ Kris Bryant for the longest in the majors in 2017.

TAKEAWAY

There is no way to know if the Brewers can keep up this home run pace. They weren't forecast as a huge power-hitting club. But that's the beauty of baseball. Anything can happen, especially over short periods.